Wheel



Patented 1940 *UNITED STATES PATENT oF-FICE Chauncey W. Gannett, Wellington, Ohio, as-

signor to Wellington Machine Company, ngton, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Original application October 15, 1934, Serial No.

748,361. Divided and this application 1937, Serial No. 139,981

Referring to the drawing, in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 2 Claims.

My invention relates ,te wheels, and, relates more particularly, to wheels of the type adapted for use on industrial trucks and the like and having removable tires'secured thereto.

An object of'my invention is to provide an improved wheel of the type referred to.

Another object of my invention is to provide improved means forsecuring the rim of a' wheel,

gof the type referred to, to its central wheel struclo ture.

Another object of my invention is to provide ay removable tire supporting rim for a wheel, of the type referred to, so .constructed and assembled that the tire may be easily removed from the 1 5,- wheel Afor repair or replacement.

Another object of my invention is to provide a removable tire supporting rim, for a wheel of the type referred to, so constructed that no outwardly radial movement therefrom of the tire vis lpergo mitted.

Another object of my invention is to provide a removable tire supporting rim, fora wheel of the type referred to, so formed as to inter-logkvwith the tire. fw- 4 Another object of my invention is to provide a removable tire supporting rim, for aKwhel of the type referred to,l which makes wedging engagement with a central wheel portion.

' Another object of my invention is to provide a 5 .wheel er the type referred to havingv improved central' wheel and hub portions.

Other objects of my invention and the invention itself will become apparent to those skilled vin the art to which my invention appertains.

` In thedrawing: l 1 is a cross-sectional view of a wheel embodying my invention:

Fig. 2' is a, fragmentary side' elevational view of the'wheel of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a view to a larger scale of a part of Fig. 1, illustrating `a stepin the process of assembling the wheel. f

The subject matter of this application is\di visional from my co-pending patent application,

* Serial N0. 748,361, led October 15,1934, for Imposed inclined surfaces 8-8 is preferably such as ter of which application isfurther divisionalv from the above referred4 to co-pending' applica- .5 uen, semi No. '14s,ae1.

ly during the 4 and obviating the possibility of separation of faces H will become scoredor otherwise mutilated.

Well- April 30,

herein, I have illustrated at I a rim formed from sheet metal. Said rim I of my invention is, as is well known in the art, rolled from lengths of sheet metal andthe ends abutted and welded together. vAny other 4suitable method, l however, may be utilized to form the rim I. 'In cross-section said rim I is generally channel formed and its lateral anges 2-2 are rounded. The web 3 thereof is depressed, as shown, to provide an outwardly concave recess I .and an inward bead 5. A tire 6 of rubber or like cushioning material, is preferably vulcanized directly to said. rim, in a manner well known in the art, substantially filling saidlrim and fitting, in the rim of my invention, into the recess 4 thereof, said recess cooperating with the said rim flanges 2-2 to retain said used, tends to' separate 'from the rim alongthe.

medial line thereof, forminga weak portion, or a cavity in the tire adjacent said rim. By providing a depressed portion 3 having a recess l in the rim I, of my invention, a bead I of the tire extends from the body of the tire inwardly radialvulcanizing process lling the recess tirel and rim above described.

The rim I isvprovided on-the radially inneriside of the channel web 3 with oppositely inclined surfaces-B substantially frusto-conical with respect to the wheel basis. A pair of discs 9-9 are formed with peripheraly axially extending flanges III-III having oppositely inclined faces II-II formed thereon also generally frusto-conical with lrespect to the wheel axis, and the inclination `of I such faces II-I I relative to the oppositely disto provide an angle therebetween of not less than 1 degree. This angle is most clearly/illustrated in Fig. 3.

I have found, by making krepeated tests, that it is exceedingly diillcult to remove the discs 9-9 if the angular inclination ofthe rimd surface 8-8 as viewed in Fig. 3, makes too small an angle with the' wheel axisbecause the flanges III-I0 when wedged with the surfaces 8 8 become locked therewith and inthe effort to unlock them, the flanges Io -I0 of the disc 9-9 or the rim sur- On the other hand, if the angular inclination is too great the iianges Ill-Ill resist being wedgingly drawn' thereover and may be permanently bent and distorted when the same is attempted by drawing up the bolts I2-I2. When the angular inclination of the rim surface 8-8 is suitably provided, then the corresponding angular inclination of the faces II -I I must likewise be suitably pre-determined. If the angle is too great, the entire bending stress on the ilange IUI-I0 will be applied thereto at the outer peripheral edge and may bend or distort them when the bolts I2 are being drawn up. If the angular inclination of the faces IIII is too small, the outer periph- `eral edges of the anges Ill-I0 may not engage when the discs are drawn up by the bolts.

I have found by making said above referred to tests, that if the angular inclination of the rim surfaces 8-8 is not substantially less than 'l degrees, a suitable wedging action may be effected without undue liability that the discs will lock when it is desired to remove them; and that a suitable amount of bending of the anges I II-I 0 will result if the inward axial divergence of the faces II-II and surfaces 8-8 is not substantially less than one degree and not more than 5 degrees.

'I'he discs 9 may be drawn toward each other by bolts I2 to effect a wedging action between the faces II and 8 and, as shown in Fig. 1, may be drawn entirelytogether as at I3, in which position the anges will engage the rim with a wedging action to secure the rim with the tire thereon to the disc.

Ihe discs 9 are dished and have central tubular hub portions I4-I4 thereon, terminating outwardlyaxially in inwardly radially directed flanges I5-I5. A tubular bearing element I6 is telescoped into the tubular portion I4 when the discs 9-9 are assembled, as illustrated. Suitable roller or like bearing elements Il may be disposed in the bearing element I6 to support an axle I8. Washers I9 are preferably disposed at the end of the tubular element I6 and hub elements 20-20 are provided, generally of cup form, with perforations 2I-2I in the bottoms of the said cups embracing the axle I8 and with outwardly radially extending flanges 22-22 disposed between the washers I9 andthe terminal flanges I5. i

Upon tightening the bolts I2, the terminal ilanges I5 will clamp the hub elements 2| and the washers I9 upon the ends of the bearing elefment I6 to provide a rigid hub construction.

The tubular portion I4 s preferably cylindrical and is telescopically fitted with the outer wall of the tubular portion I4 and the outer peripheries of the washers I9 and flanges I5 preferably i'lt the inner wall of the tubular portion I4 to align the inner peripheries of the washers I8 and hub elements 2| with the axle I8 with a relatively close t therein.

Packing material 23 may be disposed between the washers I9 and the bottoms of the cup-form hub elements 20. 'I'he discs 9--9 may further be provided with angularly spaced ribs 24 pressed therein for stiIness.

It will be observed that the depressed portion 4 of the channel-form rib serves three purposes; first, it interiorlyy provides an expansion recess into which the rubber of the tire may move upon being vulcanized under pressure to the rim, thus preventing outward radial movement thereof and resultant defects as known in the practice; secondly, the recess also provides for tongue-andgroove interlock connection between the tire and the rim; and thirdly, the depressed portion provides radially inwardly the rib for wedging engagement with the peripheral portions of the discs to secure the rim to the discs.

Although I have described my invention in itsl preferred form, it is to be understood that numerous changes and modications may be made therein without, however, departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

I claim:

l. In a wheel, a pair of central dished discs having tubular hub supporting portions extending in opposite axial directions terminating in radially inwardly extending terminal flanges, a tubular hub element telescoped within the tubular portions, cup-form hub elements at opposite ends of the tubular hub element having perfo rated bottoms, and having radially outwardly extending flanges disposed between the tubular element ends and the said terminal flanges, the cup bottoms extending axially outwardly beyond said terminal flanges to receive external axial thrusts. it. 2. In a wheel, a pair of central dished discs yhaving tubular hub supporting portions extending in opposite axial directions terminating in radially inwardly extending terminal anges, a tubular hub element telescoped within the tubular portions, washers upon which the hub element ends abut, cup-form elements having perforated bottoms providing inwardly extending flanges and having radially outwardly extending flanges disposed between the washers and the said terminal anges, clamp means to draw the terminal flanges inwardly axially to clamp the cup flanges upon the washers and the washers upon the hub element ends, and the cup bottom flanges extending axially outwardly beyond said terminal anges to receive external axial thrusts.

CHAUNCEY. W. GANNEI'I. 

